area51novel Chapter 75 A Moment of Elegance: Lightning Strike the Blue Army!
Chapter 75 A Moment of Elegance: Lightning Strike the Blue Army!
It's the last day of October.
Starting from the last Sunday of this month, clocks in EU member states will be turned back one hour.
It ends on the last Sunday of March.
Winter time will be observed during this period.
This timing has almost no impact on fans in European countries, but for Chinese fans...
Very unfriendly!
During daylight saving time, the Champions League kicks off at 2:45 a.m.
Setting the time one hour back to winter time means that kickoff will be at 3:45 a.m.
It was almost six in the morning when we finished playing.
It's no different from staying up all night.
However, a large number of Chinese fans are still prepared to stay up all night to watch the Champions League Group C match between Roma and Chelsea.
Sending encouragement to Chang Huan, who is thousands of miles away, from afar.
The match between the two teams took place on Tuesday night, with Chelsea arriving in Rome a day earlier as is customary.
Italian coach Antonio Conte, returning to the Italian peninsula, spoke confidently to reporters: "The home loss was an upset; with three consecutive wins in all competitions, we are sure to achieve a fourth!"
What do you mean by Roma's 14-game winning streak across all competitions?
A reporter from the Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport asked a question in the press conference room at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Conte shrugged and said, "Chelsea will definitely end Roma's unbeaten run in all competitions during the 2017-2018 season!"
Press conference room at the Trigoria training base.
Media reporters deliberately incite conflict.
"If we could take the victory at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago, how could we not win back at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome two weeks later?"
Roma coach Di Francesco answered directly: "We're aiming for four consecutive wins! To advance from the group stage early!"
The two head coaches engaged in a war of words through the media, and the fans of both teams were not to be outdone.
They mainly engage in online verbal sparring, with offline one-on-one duels as a secondary activity.
Time flies.
The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.
The plaza surrounding the Olympic Stadium in Rome.
The Roma fans, dressed in red jerseys or holding up red scarves, were packed into the stadium.
When their own players arrived by bus, the deafening cheers lasted for a long time.
When the visiting team's bus arrived.
A deafening chorus of boos erupted instantly.
Roma fans unleashed their passion, giving Chelsea the same treatment their team had suffered two weeks prior!
During pre-match warm-up.
Every time announcer Enzo Marino called out a player from the away team, the Roma players responded with a chorus of boos.
Although the Stadio Olimpico in Rome is a multi-purpose stadium, the Roma fans are exceptionally enthusiastic, their boos seemingly ignoring spatial distance and precisely targeting the away team's players.
Chelsea's star player, Hazard, frowned, a hint of unease creeping into his heart.
Only Rüdiger, who had previously played for Roma, was spared from being booed.
Not long after.
The starting lineups submitted by both sides to UEFA have been announced.
The home team fielded their usual 4-3-3 formation.
Goalkeeper: Alisson.
Defenders: Kolarov, Juan Jesus, Fazio, Florenzi.
Midfielders: De Rossi, Nainggolan, Strootman
Forwards: El Shaarawy, Dzeko, Chang Huan
The away team fielded their most commonly used 3-4-3 formation from last season.
Goalkeeper: Courtois
Center-backs: Gary Cahill, David Luiz, Rudiger
Midfielders: Marcos Alonso, Fabregas, Kante, Azpilicueta
Forwards: Hazard, Morata, Pedro
Players from both teams who were warming up on the field returned to their respective locker rooms about twenty minutes before the start of the match.
……
8:45 p.m. European time.
Several matches of the fourth round of the 2017-2018 UEFA Champions League group stage were played.
"Waaaaahh ...
The deafening boos from the Stadio Olimpico in Rome echoed through the sky.
The away team players who got the kickoff had an excellent mentality.
They are all top-tier players.
Ignoring the overwhelming fervor, they kept passing the ball back to Roma players despite their high press.
Cesc Fàbregas, David Luiz, Gary Cahill.
Finally, it's handed over to the goalkeeper.
Courtois wouldn't dare show off his footwork skills.
He met the ball with a powerful kick.
They kicked the ball away before Dzeko could pounce on it.
Anyone who has played football knows that in this situation, it's impossible to guarantee accuracy in a clearance.
Morata's judgment of the landing point was quite accurate, and he quickly moved to the right side of the center circle arc.
But he couldn't withstand Fazio's bulldozing pressure, causing the ball to hit the back of his head and fall forward.
Juan Jesus, playing further back, passed the ball to De Rossi, who was constantly creating space laterally.
Pedro, Fabregas, Hazard, and Morata, who failed to get to the ball, launched a high press according to the defensive system.
De Rossi looked at Florenzi, who was right next to the sideline.
Marcos Alonso handed over the task of marking Chang Huan to Gary Cahill and ran between the two.
It can be used for both offense and defense!
In fact, De Rossi suddenly delivered a through pass.
The ball was passed to Chang Huan, who hadn't fully moved out of position on the right flank.
Left center-back Gary Cahill was well-positioned, and Chang Huan, who was running forward, suddenly braked and used the outside of his left foot to stop the ball back.
Marcos Alonso turned to press, but Chang Huan shielded the ball and spun around behind him.
Conte learned from the first leg defeat and did not assign Kanté to mark Chang Huan, but instead assigned him to the overall defensive zone on the left side of midfield according to the formation.
This is precisely what gave Chang Huan the opportunity to advance.
Hazard's defensive attitude was decent; he tracked back to defend in accordance with the overall tactical requirements.
However, when faced with Chang Huan's lateral flick after spinning around, he only symbolically extended his leg.
Chang Huan noticed out of the corner of her eye that Kant was quite far away, so she chose to stand still and immediately had a plan in mind.
He used the inside of his left instep to stun the ball forward along his path.
Kante, who was moving laterally at a constant speed, suddenly accelerated and saw that Chang Huan's second touch of the ball was obviously too far from his body.
On a whim, he coordinated with Marcos Alonso, who had turned around to defend, to complete the double team!
It's too late to say.
Chang Huan hopped forward with her right foot, and then stepped out with her left leg.
The cleats stepped on the forward-rolling football and quickly pulled back.
Kante and Marcos Alonso, who both made tackles, simultaneously had their pupils shrink.
isn't it?
Chang Huan used his waist as a pivot to complete a roughly 90-degree clockwise turn, and then used his right foot to alternately tap the ball with his studs and pull it back, causing the ball to roll back towards the goal.
After landing on his left foot, he turned ninety degrees using the momentum of his movement.
Marseille Turn!
He dribbled past Kanté with lightning speed.
The movements were very elegant, and also extremely…spectacular!
The home fans at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome instinctively let out a loud shout: "Whoa whoa whoa—!"
Fabregas is slow and can't cover laterally in time, which allows Chang Huan to easily dribble past Kanté and bring the ball to the middle.
Gary Cahill didn't dare to go forward, and fought back while retreating.
Always maintain a safe distance.
Dzeko, who had run to the edge of the penalty area, suddenly surged forward toward the right side of the penalty area.
He was closely marked by right center-back Rudiger.
David Luiz and Gary Cahill maintained a safe distance in the middle, ready to provide backup defense.
At the same time, he glanced at Dzeko's position out of the corner of his eye to make it easier to block the passing route.
Just then.
Chang Huan, dribbling the ball, accelerated to about two meters from the right edge of the penalty area!
Gary Cahill realized he couldn't back down any longer.
David Luiz has a strong ability to read the game, and he has recently watched a few of Chang Huan's Serie A matches, so he knows what Chang Huan is going to do next.
Gary Cahill and David Lewis worked together very well, with Cahill pushing forward and forcing Chang Huan to make changes.
Either spike the ball outwards, or cut inwards.
Choosing the former option would keep them away from the penalty area, greatly reducing the threat to Courtois.
Choosing to cut inside will allow David Luiz to cover and clear the ball!
At worst, it would just result in a direct free kick.
Chang Huan's quick passing motion was extremely fast; he used the outside of his left foot to push the ball away from Gary Cahill's outstretched leg area.
With the right heel providing support, alternately step outward with the left foot, sending the foot forward and diagonally to the left.
Right wing-back Azpilicueta tucked in, his attention entirely focused on Nainggolan's forward run.
So much so that they didn't even notice a red figure sneaking into the restricted area from their blind spot!
"Ooh ooh ooh ooh—"
A burst of furious shouts erupted, and Azpilicueta, his gaze fixed on the football, was horrified to see a red figure flash past his left...
"El—"
Sky Sports Italy commentator Fabio Carreza shouted, "—El Shaarawy!"
It was too late for Azpilicueta to pick up speed.
El Shaarawy slipped out from the outside to gain position.
Facing Courtois' hasty attack, he feigned a shot and then flicked the ball on.
After dribbling past them, he swung his right foot from the right side of the penalty area line!
Kick the ball towards the empty net...
The emotions of more than 60,000 Roma fans at the Stadio Olimpico erupted instantly, and deafening shouts swept across the entire stadium.
"Oh my god!"
Sky Sports commentator Andy Gray exclaimed, "Just 47 seconds into the game, Chang Huan assisted El Shaarawy to score the first goal!"